Ok so I paralyze my opponent, use flash 2 times, then I switch into Girafarig that has a calm nature, 152 EVs in SpD, 104 EVs on HP. Ability - Early Bird.
Moveset:Mean Look to stop my opponent switching out, flash, rest and baton pass with the item as Kee berry
Now my opponent is locked in can't switch. I baton pass out to Drifblim, Calm nature, same EV spread as Girafarig . Its moves are Substitute, Stockpile, Baton Pass and Charge Beam with the item as leftovers.
Now I switch into Venomoth - normal venomoth set, set up my QuiverDances.
Now for the ridiculous part - my opponent still locked in can't touch my next Pokemon. Suction Cups Octilley with Flamethrower, Energy Ball, Surf, Sludge Wave.
Now how can that be countered? It would annoy the opponent to the max. This would be hard I know, since roar can bypass Substitutes but in todays OU you can't really stop that, so tell me how an OU team could beat that strategy.
I get rage quitters before I start attacking

2 Answers

1 vote

There are a few flaws with this.

I would like o point out that if you are using Showdown there is a clauses preventing this strategy. It's the baton pass clause which was recently introduced, which limits Baton Pass to being on up to 1 Pokemon in a team from memory.

Apart from this;
- Mean Look's effect runs out the moment you use Baton Pass. This means they are free to switch out when you go to Drifblim into something which hits you for major damage. Even with a stockpile up, Drifblim would not be wanting to take powerful super effective STAB. Ghost types are also not affected by Mean Look. This single point breaks down most of your strategy, since it appears you're relying on T-Wave and Flash lasting throughout the entire match.
- Taunt breaks your whole strategy down
- Roar and Whirlwind.
- Any fast Pokemon carrying Substitute
By this I mean "Ok so I paralyze my opponent, use flash 2 times". If the opponent at the start outspeeds you, gets up the Substitute which blocks both Thunder Wave and Flash.
- Any Ground, Electric or Pokemon with Volt Absorb/Lightening Rod will be able to take the Thunder Wave
- Volt Switch and U-turn are able to force a switch for the user, even with Mean Look.
- Magic Bounce quickly stops your Flash strategy.
- Infiltrator. This ability allows the user to hit through Subs.
- Haze. Hits through Substitute, removes all stat boosts
- Sound-based moves. All of those kinds of moves are able to hit through substitutes, as of Gen 6.
- Clear Body stops Flash. Prevents all stat drops.
- Aerial Ace, Aura Sphere and all moves that will always hit are able to bypass Flash, since they ignore accuracy modifiers.
- Red Card. The moment you hit a Pokemon with the item Red Card, you get forcibly switched out even if you're behind a substitute. Not good for Octillery.
- Crits. Bypass your SpD boosts, hit you for 1.5x of normal damage. Dang, that's gotta hurt.
- Blissey. You have no way of breaking that pink blob down. Protect + Wish stalls you, can break down Octillery's subs with Seismic Toss.

This strategy wouldn't work in OU, since Smogon have implemented a new rule (that will soon be an official clause) which prevents you from having more than one Pokemon on your team that has Baton Pass. (details here)

But even if that weren't in play, there are a number of thing that could counter this.

Your opponent is a Ghost, which can't be affected by Mean Look. Ground types and Electric types are also immune to Thunder Wave which is what I assume you're using to paralyse them.

Your opponent has Taunt or a phasing move (all phasing move pass through Substitiutes not just Roar). Either will end your chain.

Your opponent attacks and gets a crit, which bypasses your defence boosts. This is especially bad if they are using a super effective move.

Your opponent switched out when you were setting up Flash and the paralysing move.

Any Pokemon with Sturdy, a Focus Sash, or potentially a Choice Scarf since Octillery is slow anyway. These will all cause problems.

One of their Pokemon simply survives the hit. It could be wall that could do something nasty to you, like paralyse you, which would effectively stop the sweep.

Will add more as I think of them, it's pretty simple to stop a Baton Pass chain.